Nautical Wedding Inspiration
Friends! I'm back with another beautiful wedding and loads of pretty wedding inspiration for you today. If you're on the hunt for some gorgeous nautical details, well, you sure are in the right place! Eleni and Rich tied the knot with a beautiful, nautical-themed soiree in Connecticut during the peak of the summer. Keep reading to learn more about their fun planning process and see some peeks of their gorgeous celebration.
The Basics
Wedding Date: August 25, 2013
Wedding Location: The Barns at Wesleyan Hills
All the Fun Details
How did you and your significant other meet?
Rich and I met when I was his mother’s oncology nurse.
How did your proposal happen?
Rich proposed at David’s Tea. My ring was inside a tin of loose leaf Blueberry Jam tea!
What tradition(s) were important for you to include in your wedding ceremony? Why?
My aunt married us, which was really important. We both wanted someone who knew and loves us and understood it was about two families now becoming one. It was also very important for us to have a moment of remembrance in honor of the loved ones in our lives that passed. It was a special moment where my mom and his dad threw sunflowers on the water to the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by IZ - it was a very real and touching moment. It was also very important to me that my gown represented who I am - it was classic and timeless. A nurse is such a big part of who I am, so it was so special to me to have my veil and headpiece made by a patient’s mom, too.
Did you include any family heirlooms or heritage in your wedding celebration?
Even though we were the first couple in our families not to get married in a church, we wanted to make sure our heritage was still represented. We did the Irish traditions of “tying the knot” and “ringing of the bells”. We also represented my European side in our vows. Us getting married on location of our reception was important because it was all about families and friends celebrating the starting of lives together from start to finish.
What was the inspiration for your wedding style?
Nautical and classic.
What were the top 3 most important aspects of your wedding?
Creating timeless lasting memories with family and friends, food, and carrying out our nautical theme from invites to décor.
What was your favorite part of the planning process?
Being able to take our wedding vision and execute it, while creating special moments along the way.
Did you use a wedding planner?
No, just me. My vision was to have a wedding that would create timeless lasting memories for all my guests, so every detail was important to me.
What is the best memory you have from your wedding day?
Our favorite memory was our first look. After the crazy morning getting ready it is what we both needed to refocus on “us” and not the rest of the wedding. It felt like time stood still for those moments.
What was your favorite piece of advice you received about marriage?
Be each others anchor when the waves comes crashing down.
Anything else you'd like to share?
It is very easy to get wrapped up in trends and style, but create a day that reflects who you are as a couple. It will fly by so try to give yourself time to create memories with the people that matter most. The day will pass by so quickly, so make sure you pick a photographer and videographer you trust and feel comfortable with to document those moments. We almost did not pick a videographer but I am so glad we did. We can watch our video clip and it brings back to all those powerful feelings we had that day.
